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Category: Asia Report

  • ‘Not complicated’ over killing children, Swarbrick tells Gaza ceasefire rally

    Asia Pacific Report

    About 5000 protesters calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israeli’s genocidal  war on Gaza took today part in a rally in Auckland’s Te Komititanga Square and a march up Queen Street in the business heart of New Zealand’s largest city.

    This was one of a series of protests across more than 25 cities and towns across Aotearoa New Zealand in one of the biggest demonstrations since the war began last October.

    Many passionate Palestinian and indigenous Māori speakers and a Filipino activist condemned the Israeli settler colonial project over the destruction caused in the occupation of Palestinian lands and the massive loss of civilian lives in the war.

    The most rousing cheers greeted Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick who condemned the killing of “more than 30,000 innocent civilian lives” — most of them women and children with International Women’s Day being celebrated yesterday.

    “The powers that be want you to think it is complicated . . .,” she said. “it’s not. Here’s why.

    “We should all be able to agree that killing children is wrong.

    “We should all be able to agree that indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians who have been made refugees in their own land is wrong,” she said and was greeted with strong applause.

    “Everybody in power who disagrees with that is wrong.”

    ‘Stop the genocide’
    Chants of shame followed that echoing the scores of placards and banners in the crowd declaring such slogans as “Stop the genocide”, “From Gaza to Paekākāriki, this govt doesn’t care about tamariki. Free Palestine”, “Women for a free Palestine”, “Unlearn lies about Palestine”, “Food not bombs for the tamariki of Gaza”, “From the river to the sea . . . aways was, always will be. Ceasefire now.”

    Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick addressing the crowd
    Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick (third from left) addressing the crowd . . . “killing children is wrong.” Image: David Robie/APR

    Three young girls being wheeled in a pram held a placard saying “Yemen, Yemen, make us proud, turn another ship around”, in reference to a protest against the New Zealand government joining a small US-led group of nations taking reprisals against Yemen.

    The Yemeni Houthis are blockading the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestine to prevent ships linked to Israel, UK or the US from getting through the narrow waterway. They say they are taking this action under the Genocide Convention.

    Swarbrick vowed that the Green Party — along with Te Māori Pati — the only political party represented at the rally, would pressure the conservative coalition government to press globally for an immediate ceasefire, condemnation of Israeli atrocities, restoration of funding to the Palestine refugee relief agency UNRWA, and expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.

    Meanwhile, as protests took place around the country, national chair John Minto of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) declared on social media from Christchurch that “[Prime Minister] Christopher Luxon and [Foreign Minister] Winston Peters can’t find the energy to tweet for an end to Israel’s genocidal starvation of Palestinians in Gaza”.

    He added that Israel continued to turn away humanitarian convoys of desperately needed aid from northern Gaza.

    “But PM Christopher Luxon has been silent while FM Winston Peters has been indolent.”

    Palestine will be free"
    Palestine will be free” . . . three friends show their solidarity for occupied Palestine. Image: David Robie/APR

    Death toll rising
    Al Jazeera reports that the death toll is ris­ing as Is­rael in­ten­si­fies at­tacks on Rafah in southern Gaza, and also in cen­tral Gaza.

    Three more children have died of malnutrition and dehydration at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, according to health officials, taking the total confirmed toll from starvation to 23.

    The US military has denied responsibility for an airdrop of humanitarian aid that Gaza officials say killed five people and injured several others when parachutes failed to open while Israeli forces again opened fire on aid seekers in northern Gaza.

    President Joe Biden’s plan of a temporary port for maritime delivery of aid has been widely condemned by UN officials and other critics as an “election year ploy”.

    Dr Rami Khouri, of the American University of Beirut, said the plan was “a ruse most of the world can see through”. It could give Israel even tighter control over what gets into the Gaza Strip in the future while completing “the ethnic cleansing of Palestine”.

    "All children are precious"
    “All children are precious” . . . a child and her mother declare their priorities at the protest. Image: David Robie/APR

    Protesters stop US lecturer
    Wellington Scoop reports that students and activist groups at Victoria University of Wellington yesterday protested against a lecture by the US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Dr Bonnie Jenkins.

    Dr Jenkins is a senior official in charge of AUKUS implementation, a military alliance currently between Australia, UK and USA.

    About 150 people, mostly students from groups including Justice for Palestine, Student Justice for Palestine-Pōneke (SJP), Stop AUKUS and Peace Action Wellington rallied outside the university venue in Pipitea to protest against further collaborations with the US.

    A peaceful protest was undertaken inside the lecture hall at the same time.

    An activist began by calling for “a moment of silence for all the Palestinians killed by the US-funded genocide in Gaza”.

    He then condemned the weapons that the US was sending to Gaza, before eventually being ejected from the lecture theatre.

    Shortly after, another activist stood up and said “Karetao o te Kāwana kakīwhero!” (“Puppets of this redneck government”) and quoted from the women’s Super Rugby Aupiki team Hurricanes Poua’s revamped haka: “Mai te awa ki te moana (From the river to the sea), free free Palestine!”

    "You don't have to be a Muslim"
    “You don’t have to be a Muslim to support Palestine – just be human” . . . says this protester on the eve of Ramadan. Image: David Robie/APR

    Video on ‘imperialism’
    Dr Jenkins was ushered away for the second time. Subsequently a couple of activists took to speaking and playing a video about how AUKUS represented US imperialism.

    When organisers later came in to announce that Dr Jenkins would not be continuing with her lecture, chants of “Free, free Palestine!” filled the room.

    “For five months, Aotearoa has been calling for our government to do more to stop the genocide in Gaza. And for years, we have been calling our governments to stand against Israel’s occupation of Palestine,” said Samira Zaiton, a Justice for Palestine organiser.

    “We are now at the juncture of tightening relations with settler colonies who will only destroy more lives, more homes and more lands and waters. We want no part in this. We want no part in AUKUS.”

    Dr Jenkins’ lecture was organised by Victoria University’s Centre for Strategic Studies, to address “security challenges in the 21st century”.

    Valerie Morse, an organiser with Peace Action Wellington, said: “Experts on foreign policy and regional diplomacy have done careful research on the disastrous consequences of involving ourselves with AUKUS.

    “Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa is not a nuclear testing ground and sacrifice zone for US wars.”

    "When silence is betrayal"
    “When silence is betrayal” . . . motorcycle look at today’s rally. Image: David Robie/APR
    The Israeli military's "murder machine"
    The Israeli military’s “murder machine” . . . “there’s no good reason for bombing children”. Image: David Robie/APR


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Palestine supporters picket RNZ studios and call for ‘truth’ on Gaza

    Pacific Media Watch

    About 25 pro-Palestinian protesters picketed the Auckland headquarters of Radio New Zealand today in the second of two demonstrations claiming that media is providing biased coverage of Israeli’s war on Gaza that is now in its fifth month.

    Last week protesters directed their criticism at Television New Zealand which never reported the picket.

    Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) secretary Neil Scott called on RNZ and other media to “tell the full truth” about the Israeli genocide in Gaza that has so far killed 30,800 people, mostly women and children.

    At least 20 people — mostly babies and children — have been reported by Palestinian health authorities as having starved to death in the past week.

    Scott said news media were providing “one-sided propaganda” in their reportage.

    The protest came amid mounting criticism around the world over Western media coverage of the war and growing reports by media monitoring and research agencies of bias.

    Protesters also picketed several media offices in Australian cities today, condemning coverage by the public broadcaster ABC.

    ‘Selective’ news
    In a street placard headlined “Silence is complicity”, the protesters said that New Zealand media “selectively chooses” what was reported and broadcast BBC news feeds that were ‘inaccurate and misleading”.

    “The media sculpts information to create public perceptions rather than informing people of the facts,” Scott said.

    He said that news media refused to tell New Zealanders about Palestinian rights such as the “right of the occupied to fight occupation”, and that the occupier — Israel — was obligated to provide for the needs of the people under occupation, such as food, water and health.

    A Palestinian "silence is complicity" placard
    A Palestinian “silence is complicity” placard outside the foyer of the RNZ House in Auckland’s Hobson Street today. Image: APR

    Scott also said Palestinians had the right not to be arrested and held without charge, trial or conviction — and a large number of Palestinian detainees were being held under “administrative detention”, effectively Israeli hostages.

    Israel is holding more than 8200 Palestinian prisoners, more than 3000 of them without charge.

    Scott said that there had been more than 20 weeks of rallies and vigils against the war in New Zealand, “averaging 25 rallies and events per week”, but they had been barely covered by media.

    In Sydney, high profile Australian-Lebanese broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf, who has publicly challenged the ABC over its coverage and was ousted for perceived sympathy for the Palestinian plight, said she was “incredibly humbled and moved” by the demonstrations in front of ABC studios.

    She has taken legal action against the ABC and the Federal Court on Thursday ordered mediation between her and the ABC management.

     

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Israeli army detains female journalist, activist in West Bank raids

    Pacific Media Watch

    The Israeli army has raided dozens of homes in the West Bank and detained 20 Palestinians, including two women — journalist Bushra al-Taweel and activist Sumood Muteer.

    Quoting witness accounts, Quds News Network reported that al-Taweel was beaten up by an officer who insulted her before she was arrested.

    Today is International Women’s Day.

    The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said 57 journalists have been detained since October 7, with 38 of them still in jail. The organisation added that 22 of them were detained without charge.

    Since October 7, at least 424 Palestinians, including 113 minors, three women and 12 prisoners in Israeli custody, have been killed in the West Bank alone.

    At least 7450 Palestinians have been detained since the start of the war in Gaza.

    The Gaza Media Office has reported at least 180 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 7.

    Israeli forces ‘likely’ machinegunned reporters
    Meanwhile, a new digital forensic report has found that Israeli forces “likely” shot machinegun at reporters after shelling them, killing one journalist and wounding six others on the Lebanese border last October 13.

    An Israeli tank crew fired shells at a clearly marked group of journalists near the border, killing one Reuters reporter and wounding six others, including two Al Jazeera reporters and an Agence France-Presse reporter.

    An analysis by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), commissioned by Reuters, has found that the journalists were also targeted with machineguns, likely fired by the same Israeli forces.

    “It is considered a likely scenario that a Merkava tank, after firing two tank rounds, also used its machine gun against the location of the journalists,” TNO’s report said.

    “The latter cannot be concluded with certainty as the direction and exact distance of [the machinegun] fire could not be established.”

    AFP global news director Phil Chetwynd, reacting to the finding, said: “If reports of sustained machine gun fire are confirmed, this would add more weight to the theory this was a targeted and deliberate attack.”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Israeli army detains female journalist, activist in West Bank raids

    Pacific Media Watch

    The Israeli army has raided dozens of homes in the West Bank and detained 20 Palestinians, including two women — journalist Bushra al-Taweel and activist Sumood Muteer.

    Quoting witness accounts, Quds News Network reported that al-Taweel was beaten up by an officer who insulted her before she was arrested.

    Today is International Women’s Day.

    The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said 57 journalists have been detained since October 7, with 38 of them still in jail. The organisation added that 22 of them were detained without charge.

    Since October 7, at least 424 Palestinians, including 113 minors, three women and 12 prisoners in Israeli custody, have been killed in the West Bank alone.

    At least 7450 Palestinians have been detained since the start of the war in Gaza.

    The Gaza Media Office has reported at least 180 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 7.

    Israeli forces ‘likely’ machinegunned reporters
    Meanwhile, a new digital forensic report has found that Israeli forces “likely” shot machinegun at reporters after shelling them, killing one journalist and wounding six others on the Lebanese border last October 13.

    An Israeli tank crew fired shells at a clearly marked group of journalists near the border, killing one Reuters reporter and wounding six others, including two Al Jazeera reporters and an Agence France-Presse reporter.

    An analysis by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), commissioned by Reuters, has found that the journalists were also targeted with machineguns, likely fired by the same Israeli forces.

    “It is considered a likely scenario that a Merkava tank, after firing two tank rounds, also used its machine gun against the location of the journalists,” TNO’s report said.

    “The latter cannot be concluded with certainty as the direction and exact distance of [the machinegun] fire could not be established.”

    AFP global news director Phil Chetwynd, reacting to the finding, said: “If reports of sustained machine gun fire are confirmed, this would add more weight to the theory this was a targeted and deliberate attack.”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Media watchdog calls out biased UK reporting over Israel’s war on Gaza

    Pacific Media Watch

    A report by a media watchdog has revealed the United Kingdom’s media bias in covering the Hamas attack on October 7 and Israel’s five-month genocidal bombardment and ground assault in response.

    “Much of the news coverage of 7 October refers to Hamas’s attacks on Southern Israel as ground zero, with guests or commentators who try and explain the 75-year-old occupation of Palestine being accused by some presenters and columnists as justifying the attacks,” the report by the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM) said.

    By ignoring the context and history of the occupation of Palestine and Gaza in particular, the report said the media landscape had been “favourable to an Israeli narrative which has constantly promoted the attacks on Gaza and in the West Bank as a war between light and darkness”, reports Al Jazeera.

    Titled “Media Bias Gaza 2023-24”, the report also called out treating the Israeli military as a “credible source” without subjecting it to further verification as “one of the glaring failures of journalists and media outlets”.

    Cover of the Media Bias Gaza 2023-24 report
    Cover of the Media Bias Gaza 2023-24 report . . . latest publication on Israel’s “favourable narrative” in the media.

    Difference in the use of language has also been a regular feature of coverage, the report says, with Palestinian deaths often underplayed compared with those of Israelis.

    Pro-Palestinian voices and activists have been routinely denounced, misrepresented and targeted by many national media outlets, it says.

    The report adds that the right-wing media have been particularly hostile towards pro-Palestinian voices, framing them as supporters of terrorism and anti-Semites as well as being hostile to British values.

    Key findings include:

    • Language use: Emotive language describes Israelis as victims of attacks 11 times more than Palestinians.
    • Framing of events: Most TV channels overwhelmingly promote “Israel’s right” to defend itself, overshadowing Palestinian rights to defend itself and other rights by a ratio of 5 to 1.
    • In broadcast TV, Israeli perspectives were referenced almost three times more than Palestinian ones.
    • In online news, it was almost twice as much.
    • Contextual framing: 76 percent of online articles frame the conflict as an “Israel-Hamas war,” while only 24 percent mention “Palestine/Palestinian,” indicating a lack of context.
    • Misrepresentation and undermining: Pro-Palestinian voices face misrepresentation and vilification by media outlets, perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
      Right-wing news channels and right-wing British publications were at the forefront of misrepresenting pro-Palestinian protesters as antisemitic, violent or pro-Hamas.

    At least 30,717 people have been killed and 72,156 wounded by Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry anounced.

    The death toll from malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza has risen to 18.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Why have Albanese and other politicians been referred to the ICC over Israel’s war on Gaza?

    ANALYSIS: By Donald Rothwell, Australian National University

    In an unprecedented legal development, senior Australian politicians, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have been referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation into whether they have aided or supported Israel’s actions in Gaza.

    The referral, made by the Sydney law firm Birchgrove Legal on behalf of their clients, is the first time any serving Australian political leaders have been formally referred to the ICC for investigation.

    The referral asserts that Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and other members of the government have violated the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty that established the ICC to investigate and prosecute allegations of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

    Specifically, the law firm references:

    • Australia’s freezing of aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the aid agency that operates in Gaza
    • the provision of military aid to Israel that could have been used in the alleged commission of genocide and crimes against humanity
    • permitting Australians to travel to Israel to take part in attacks in Gaza
    • providing “unequivocal political support” for Israel’s actions in Gaza.

    A key aspect of the referral is the assertion, under Article 25 of the Rome Statute, that Albanese and the others bear individual criminal responsibility for aiding, abetting or otherwise assisting in the commission (or attempted commission) of alleged crimes by Israel in Gaza.

    At a news conference today, Albanese said the letter had “no credibility” and was an example of “misinformation”. He said:

    Australia joined a majority in the UN to call for an immediate ceasefire and to advocate for the release of hostages, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, the upholding of international law and the protection of civilians.

    How the referral process works
    There are a couple of key questions here: can anyone be referred to the ICC, and how often do these referrals lead to an investigation?

    Referrals to the ICC prosecutor are most commonly made by individual countries — as has occurred following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — or by the UN Security Council. However, it is also possible for referrals to be made by “intergovernmental or non-governmental organisations, or other reliable sources”, according to Article 15 of the Rome Statute.

    The ICC prosecutor’s office has received 12,000 such referrals to date. These must go through a preliminary examination before the office decides whether there are “reasonable grounds” to start an investigation.

    The court has issued arrest warrants for numerous leaders over the past two decades, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova; former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir; and now-deceased Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

    Why this referral is unlikely to go anywhere
    Putting aside the merit of the allegations themselves, it is unlikely the Australian referrals will go any further for legal and practical reasons.

    First, the ICC was established as an international court of last resort. This means it would only be used to prosecute international crimes when courts at a national level are unwilling or unable to do so.

    As such, the threat of possible ICC prosecution was intended to act as a deterrent for those considering committing international crimes, as well as an incentive for national authorities and courts to prosecute them.

    Australia has such a process in place to investigate potential war crimes and other international crimes through the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI).

    The OSI was created in the wake of the 2020 Brereton Report into allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. In March 2023, the office announced its first prosecution.

    Because Australia has this legal framework in place, the ICC prosecutor would likely deem it unnecessary to refer Australian politicians to the ICC for prosecution, unless Australia was unwilling to start such a prosecution itself. At present, there is no evidence that is the case.

    Another reason this referral is likely to go nowhere: the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, is currently focusing on a range of investigations related to alleged war crimes committed by Russia, Hamas and Israel, in addition to other historical investigations.

    Given the significance of these investigations – and the political pressure the ICC faces to act with speed – it is unlikely the court would divert limited resources to investigate Australian politicians.

    Increasing prominence of international courts
    This referral to the ICC, however, needs to be seen in a wider context. The Israel-Hamas conflict has resulted in an unprecedented flurry of legal proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s top court.

    Unlike the ICC, the ICJ does not deal with individual criminal responsibility. The ICJ does, however, have jurisdiction over whether countries violate international law, such as the Genocide Convention.

    This was the basis for South Africa to launch its case against Israel in the ICJ, claiming its actions against the Palestinian people amounted to genocide. The ICJ issued a provisional ruling against Israel in January which said it’s “plausible” Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and ordered Israel to take immediate steps to prevent acts of genocide.

    In addition, earlier this week, a new case was launched in the ICJ by Nicaragua, alleging Germany has supported acts of genocide by providing military support for Israel and freezing aid for UNRWA.

    All of these developments in recent months amount to what experts call “lawfare”. This refers to the use of international or domestic courts to seek accountability for alleged state-sanctioned acts of genocide and support or complicity in such acts. Some of these cases have merit, others are very weak.

    As one international law expert described the purpose:

    It’s […] a way of raising awareness, getting media attention and showing your own political base you’re doing something.

    These cases do succeed in increasing public awareness of these conflicts. And they make clear the desire of many around the world to hold to account those seen as being responsible for gross violations of international law.The Conversation

    Dr Donald Rothwell, professor of international law, Australian National University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Protests demand UNRWA funding restored as Israel starves Palestinians

    By Alex Bainbridge, Peter Boyle, Isaac Nellist, Jacob Andrewartha, Jordan Ellis, Alex Salmon, Stephen W Enciso and Khaled Ghannam of Green Left

    Thousands marched for Palestine across Australia at the weekend in the wake of Israel’s massacre of more than 100 starving Palestinians who were trying to get flour from an aid truck southwest of Gaza City.

    Israel’s siege on Gaza has stopped Palestinians from accessing food, medical supplies and other crucial aid. A United Nations report found that more than 90 percent of the population, more than 2 million people, are facing starvation and malnutrition.

    This is made worse by the cutting of funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) by Western governments, the main organisation providing aid to Gaza, after Israel alleged that 12 of its 30,000 staff were involved in the October 7 incursion.

    The Labor government has refused to restore funding to UNRWA despite foreign minister Penny Wong conceding she had not seen any evidence to support Israel’s allegations.

    “Our government has suspended funding to UNRWA when instead it should be restoring it and increasing it,” Greens senator Larissa Waters told the Meanjin/Brisbane rally on March 3, reported Alex Bainbridge.

    Waters said that Foreign Minister Penny Wong was right to condemn Israel’s attack on food vans but that she was “not bowled over by the strength of response because Senator Wong has said she’s going to get her department to have a little word to the Israeli ambassador”.

    “That’s all she’s going to do after we saw desperate parents getting slaughtered [while getting] food for their children.”

    ‘Solidarity with Palestinian women’
    The rally had a “Solidarity with Palestinian women” theme in recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8.


    Call on global Jewish community to rise up against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.   Video: Green Left

    Protesters held a minute’s silence in recognition of United States Air Force serviceperson Aaron Bushnell who self-immolated on February 25 in protest against the US government’s participation in genocide.

    Israel has begun its bombardment offensive against Rafah, the small city in southern Gaza where 1.4 million people are sheltering. More than 30,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

    A YouGov survey found that more than 80 percent of Australians support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, showing the Palestine solidarity movement has cut through the establishment media pro-Israel messaging.

    Edie Shepherd, from the Tzedek Collective, an anti-Zionist Jewish group told thousands at the rally in Gadigal/Sydney on March 3 that the global Jewish community must “rise up against the dominant Zionist frameworks that wield hate, power militarism to carry out atrocities against Palestinians”, reported Peter Boyle.

    “The greatest shame is that our survival of genocide has been weaponised to commit genocide against Palestinians now.”

    Nasser Mashni, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), told the March 3 rally in Garramilla/Darwin that “Israelis and Zionists want to kill Palestinians”, reported Stephen W Enciso.

    Israel's massacre of starving Palestinians has been dubbed the "flour massacre"
    Israel’s massacre of starving Palestinians has been dubbed the “flour massacre”. Image: Alex Bainbridge/Green Left

    ‘They want decolonisation’
    “Palestinians do not want to kill Israels. Indigenous folk do not want to kill their colonisers. They just want to be acknowledged. They want [a] treaty. They want their rights. They want restitution. They want racism to stop and decolonisation to start,” he said.

    Kulumbirigin Danggalaba Tiwi woman Mililma May drew links between the colonial violence faced by Indigenous people in Australia and Palestine.

    She pointed to the coronial inquest into the killing of Kumanjayi Walker by former constable Zachary Rolfe, in which Rolfe gave evidence about widespread racism in the Northern Territory Police Force.

    “We are witnessing in plain evidence the racism and the deep horror that exists in the NT police, as across the colony,” May said.

    “We live in the same states and under the same violence as Palestine. It just manifests itself in different ways.”

    Kites flying for Gaza
    A kite-flying for Gaza event was organised by Pilbara for Palestine in Karratha, Western Australia on March 3.

    Children made and flew kites decorated with Palestinian flags, watermelons and “Free Palestine” in solidarity with the children on Gaza.

    Organiser Chris Jenkins told Green Left that the action “demonstrated once again that support for Palestine exists from the CBD to the bush”.

    The community also raised money for UNRWA.

    In Muloobinba/Newcastle a “Hands off Rafah” rally and kite-flying event was held on March 2 at Nobby’s Beach, reported Khaled Ghannam.

    Former Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, who visited Palestine in June last year, said the Israeli occupation impacts on everything Palestinians do.

    “One of the common things that people we interviewed said was, ‘please take our voice to the world’,” she said.

    “We are part of a massive global movement, millions of people are on the move around the world in so many countries, with a similar message to us:

    • Ceasefire now,
    • Restore UNRWA funding, and
    • End the occupation.”

    She said the UN had called on Australia and other countries to stop arming Israel.

    Republished with permission from Green Left.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • USP to host ‘critical issues’ Pacific media conference to shape future

    By Monika Singh

    The University of the South Pacific will host a major Pacific International Media conference in July to address critical issues in the regional news media sector in the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic and digital disruption.

    The conference, in Suva, Fiji, on July 4-6 is the first of its kind in the region in two decades.

    With the theme “Navigating challenges and shaping futures in Pacific media research and practice”, the event seeks to respond to some entrenched challenges in the small and micro news media systems of the Pacific.

    Associate Professor Shailendra Singh
    Associate Professor Shailendra Singh . . . the Pacific has among the highest attrition rate of journalists in the world. Image: USP

    Organised in partnership with the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) and the Asia-Pacific Media Network (APMN), the conference is a gathering of academics, media professionals, policymakers and civil society organisation representatives to engage in critical discussions on news media topics.

    Conference chair Associate Professor Shailendra Singh, head of the USP journalism programme, some of these challenges are due to the small population base in many island countries, limited advertising revenue, and marginal profits.

    This makes it difficult for media organisations to reinvest, or pay competitive salaries to retain good staff.

    Dr Singh said their research indicated that the Pacific region had among the highest rate of journalist attrition in the world, with mostly a young, inexperienced and under-qualified journalist cohort in the forefront of reporting complex issues.

    Media rights, free speech important
    He said that issues relating to media rights and freedom of speech were also still important in the region.

    Big power competition between China and the United States playing out in the Pacific was another complexity for the Pacific media sector to negotiate, added Dr Singh.

    PINA president Kora Nou
    PINA president Kora Nou . . . timely as “we consider measures to improve our media landscape post-covid”. Image: NBC

    PINA president and CEO of Papua New Guinea’s national broadcaster NBC Kora Nou said the conference was timely as “we consider measures to improve our media landscape post-covid”.

    Nou said it was important for journalism practitioners, leaders, academia, and key stakeholders to discuss issues that directly impacted on the media industry in the Pacific.

    “Not all Pacific Island countries are the same, nor do we have the same challenges, but by networking and discussing shared challenges in our media industry will help address them meaningfully,” he said.

    Nou added that journalism schools in the Pacific needed more attention in terms of public funding, new and improved curricula that were consistent with technological advances.

    He said that research collaboration between journalism schools and established newsrooms across the region should be encouraged.

    Better learning facilities
    According to Nou, funding and technical assistance for journalism schools like USP in Fiji, and Divine Word and UPNG in Papua New Guinea, would translate into better learning facilities and tools to prepare student journalists for newsrooms in the Pacific.

    Dr Heather Devere
    Dr Heather Devere . . . “the Pacific is having to deal with numerous conflicts where journalists are not only incidental casualties but are even being deliberately targeted.” Image: ResearchGate

    APMN chair Dr Heather Devere believes this is a vital time for journalism, and crucial for academics and media professionals and practitioners to unite to address global and local issues and the specific impacts on the Pacific region.

    “Often neglected on the world stage, the Pacific is itself having to deal with numerous conflicts where journalists are not only incidental casualties but are even being deliberately targeted in vicious attacks,” she said.

    “Humanity, the environment, our living spaces and other species are in imminent danger.

    “APMN supports the initiative presented by the University of the South Pacific for us all to unify, stand firm and uphold the values that characterise the best in our people,” said Dr Devere.

    Critical time for global journalism
    According to Asia Pacific Report editor and founder of the Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie, this conference comes at a critical time for the future and viability of journalism globally.

    Professor David Robie
    Professor David Robie . . . “climate crisis reportage . . . is now an urgent existential challenge for Pacific countries.” Image: APMN

    Dr Robie said it was a “tremendous initiative” by USP’s School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education to partner with the media industry and to help chart new pathways for journalism methodologies and media freedom in the face of growing geopolitical rivalries over Pacific politics and economic resources.

    “We need to examine the role of news media in Pacific democracies today, how to report and analyse conflict independently without being sucked in by major power agendas, and how to improve our climate crisis reportage, given this is now an urgent existential challenge for Pacific countries.

    “In a sense, the Pacific is a laboratory for the entire world, and journalism and media are at the climate crisis frontline.”

    Dr Robie, who was the recipient of the 2015 AMIC Asia Communication Award, highlighted that many human rights issues were at stake, such as the future of West Papua self-determination, that needed media debate and research.

    Organisers are calling for abstracts and conference papers, and panel proposals on the following topics and related themes in the Asia-Pacific:

    • Media, Democracy, Human Rights and Governance:
    • Media and Geopolitics
    • Digital Disruption and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
    • Media Law and Ethics
    • Media, Climate Change and Environmental Journalism
    • Indigenous and Vernacular Media
    • Social Cohesion, Peacebuilding and Conflict-Prevention
    • Covid-19 Pandemic and Health Reporting
    • Media Entrepreneurship and Sustainability

    Abstracts can be submitted to the conference chair, Dr Singh, by April 5, 2024 and panel and full paper submissions by May 5 and July 4 respectively.

    Monika Singh is editor-in-chief of Wansolwara, the online and print publication of the USP Journalism Programme. Republished in partnership with Wansolwara.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Wenda calls for Dutch support over UN visit, slams Prabowo presidency

    Asia Pacific Report

    A West Papuan independence leader has called on the Dutch Parliament to support a United Nations visit to the Melanesian region ruled by Indonesia and says the recent election of Prabowo Subianto as the next President is a “frightening” prospect due to his notorious human rights record.

    Addressing the Dutch Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee last week, United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) president Benny Wenda said that more than 100 separate countries had now demanded that Indonesia allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate in West Papua.

    “Indonesia’s continued refusal to obey this demand is why we are here today,” Wenda said.

    “As our former coloniser, it is very important that you understand the situation in West Papua and show support for our struggle,” he said, thanking the Parliament for the opportunity to speak.

    Addressing last month’s presidential election in Indonesia, Wenda strongly condemned the election of Prabowo Subianto, describing this as a “concerning and frightening” development for West Papua.

    “Let’s be clear: Prabowo is a war criminal. He is complicit in crimes against humanity and in genocide in East Timor and West Papua.,” Wenda said.

    ‘Never held accountable’
    “He has never apologised or been held accountable for the many atrocities he has been involved in. This is a man who was considered too brutal even for the Indonesian army.”

    Prabowo was the only presidential candidate who did not comply with a human rights record questionnaire from Human Rights Watch prior to the election.

    Last month, Wenda publicly called for an international arrest warrant against Prabowo.

    “Because of his past, his ideology, and because of statements he made during his election campaign, we have good reason to fear that Prabowo will further escalate the militarisation of West Papua,” Wenda told the Dutch parliamentarians.

    “We are already suffering ecocide and genocide. The situation will only get worse under this murderer.

    Wenda said they had already seen the first atrocity of the new Prabowo era.

    Last month, the Indonesian military arrested and tortured two Papuan teenagers in Yahukimo.

    Torture ‘trophy photos’
    “They then took photos with these two innocent children as trophies. Indonesia has repeatedly shown they will target children — the new generation of West Papuans,” Wenda said.

    Torture in West Papua had become so common that it was being described as a “mode of governance”.

    “With Prabowo as President, there must be a renewed campaign for a UN fact-finding mission in my country. The world must pay attention to our plight.

    “Human rights do not exist in West Papua.”

    In six years since Indonesia had first invited the UN to West Papua more than 100,000 Papuans had been displaced from their homes and made refugees in their own land, said Wenda.

    “Over 75,000 of my people remain displaced to this day. Over 1400 have been killed. It is no coincidence that this violence has happened while Indonesia has sent 25,000-30,000 extra troops to occupied West Papua.”

    Indonesia refused aid
    Indonesia had also consistently refused to let aid reach displaced people, meaning that many had died of hunger or thirst in the bush.

    “No UN visit, no aid workers, no journalists allowed. West Papua is becoming the North Korea of the Pacific,” Wenda said.

    In West Papua, there were two crimes — genocide and ecocide, he said.

    While the UN had not been allowed in, Indonesia had increased its destruction of West Papuan ancestral land – “our mountains, rivers and forests”.

    A new gold mine – “the size of Jakarta” — was now being built called Wabu Block, while BP had completed its expansion of the Tangguh gas field, which would provide 35 percent of Indonesia’s gas.

    Indonesia had also rejected a tribal land claim in Boven Digoel.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • DAWN calls on UN to set up global protection force for Gaza

    Asia Pacific Report

    The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) should act urgently to establish an international protection force to safeguard Palestinian civilians and ensure the unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza as a last-ditch attempt to prevent imminent, says DAWN.

    If the UNSC is blocked by a US veto or fails to reach consensus, the UN General Assembly should reconvene the 10th session of “Uniting for Peace” and authorise such a force itself.

    Recent airdrops of aid, now with the participation of the US Air Force, are “inadequate to meet the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza”, says DAWN (Democracy for the Arab World Now).

    It signals the availability of international military forces to help stabilise the situation.

    “We urgently need the UNSC to authorise an international protection force to ensure the safe and effective delivery of food to starving Palestinian men, women, and children, just as it has done in other situations of catastrophic conflicts,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of DAWN.

    “Tragically, without such intervention, it has become clear that Israel will continue to deliberately block such aid, which is the sole cause of the starvation and imminent famine in Gaza.”

    On February 29, at least 117 Palestinians were killed, and more than 750 others were wounded after Israeli troops opened fire on civilians gathered at a convoy of food trucks southwest of Gaza City, highlighting both the desperation of the starving civilian population and their inability to safely access humanitarian aid.

    Aid delivery halted
    International humanitarian organisations have halted all aid delivery to northern Gaza for nearly two weeks due to the lack of security, which is a direct result of actions and policies of the Israeli military, including targeting Palestinian police forces attempting to secure aid delivery.

    The Biden administration reportedly warned Israel last week that as a direct result of its actions, “Gaza is turning into Mogadishu”.

    The same day, the UN Security Council met in an emergency session called by Algeria on what is now being described as the “flour massacre,” but members failed to agree on a statement about the deaths and injuries of civilians seeking aid.

    At a meeting of the UNSC last week under the auspices of UNSC Resolution 2417, UN agencies warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza were facing famine-like conditions.

    The  UN World Food Programme noted that there would be an “inevitable famine” in the besieged Palestinian enclave, amid increasing reports of children dying of starvation as Israel continued to hinder aid delivery to the population.

    Gaza was seeing “the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world,” Carl Skau, deputy head of the World Food Programme, told the UN Security Council last week, with one child in every six under the age of two acutely malnourished.

    “Civilians and aid groups have described food shortages so dire that people were turning to leaves and bird food and other types of animal feed for sustenance.”

    A new World Bank report has found that Gaza’s total economic output had shriveled by more than 80 percent in the last quarter of 2023, 80 to 96 percent of Gaza’s agricultural infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed, and about 80 percent of Gazans had lost their jobs.

    Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 9, Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive has killed more than 30,000, more than 10,000 of them children, and wounded more than 70,000 people.

    “The whole world is watching in horror as Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, not only impeding the delivery of aid but actually firing and killing people desperately trying to obtain a few sacks of flour,” said Whitson.

    “If the international community doesn’t have the guts to hold Israel accountable for its atrocities and end this grotesque, genocidal assault on Palestinian civilians, the very least it can do is establish a UN protection force to ensure the safe delivery of aid.”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • NZ’s shameful act over Hamas in defiance of Gaza atrocities reality

    COMMENTARY: By David Robie

    New Zealand has taken another shameful act in its tone deaf approach to Israel’s War on Gaza this week by declaring Hamas a “terrorist entity” at a time when millions are marching worldwide for an immediate ceasefire and a lasting peace founded on an independent state of Palestine.

    It would have been more realistic and just to condemn Israel for its genocidal war and five months of atrocities.

    Instead, it has been corralled into the Five Eyes clique with an increasingly isolated United States as it continues to support the war with taxpayer funded armaments and providing the cloak of diplomacy.

    It was really unwise of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s coalition government to declare the Hamas political wing as terrorist, after already having declared the military wing terrorist in 2010.

    Many argue around the world with increasing insistence that actually Israel is a rogue terrorist state.

    Also, it is very unlikely that Benjamin Netanyahu will succeed in his aims of “destroying” the Hamas movement, whatever the final outcome of the war.

    As John Minto points out, Palestinian resistance movements have the right under international law to take up arms to fight against their colonial occupiers just as the African National Congress (ANC) had the right to take up arms to fight for freedom in apartheid South Africa.

    Hamas represents an ideal, an independent Palestinian state and that can never be defeated.

    Factions meet for unity
    The various factions of the Palestinian resistance and political movements, including Fatah and Hamas, have been meeting in Moscow this week to settle their differences and stitch together a framework for a “Palestinian government of unity” as a basis for the future political architecture of independence.

    The United Nations General Assembly in 1969 — two years after the 1967 Six Day War when Israel seized Gaza from Egypt and Occupied West Bank from Jordan — recognised and reaffirmed “the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination”.

    This includes the right to choose their own representatives, including Hamas, a nationalist independence movement defending their illegally occupied territory, not a “terrorist” movement that the US and Israel try to have the world believe.

    They are still very likely to be in the post-war line-up ending the status quo after five decades of illegal military occupation of Palestinian lands and the rash of illegal Israeli settlements.

    American economist and public policy analyst Professor Jeffrey Sachs
    American economist and public policy analyst Professor Jeffrey Sachs . . . “Israel is a criminal. Israel is in non-stop war crime status. Image: Judging Freedom

    American economist and public policy analyst Professor Jeffrey Sachs summed up the reality over Israel’s colonial settler project in an interview this week by describing the Netanyahu government as a “murderous gang” and “zealots”, warning that “they are not going to stop”.

    “Israel has deliberately starved the people of Gaza. Starved. I am not using an exaggeration.

    “I’m talking literally starving a population,” said the director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at New York’s Columbia University.

    ‘Israel is criminal’
    “Israel is a criminal. Israel is in non-stop war crime status. Now, I believe, it is in genocidal status, and it is without shame, without remorse, without truth, without insight into what it is doing.

    “But what it is doing is endangering Israel’s fundamental security because it is driving the world to believe that the Israeli state is not legitimate.

    “This will stop when the United States stops providing the munitions to Israel. It will not be by any self-control in Israel. There is none in this government.

    “This is a murderous gang in government right now. These are zealots. They have some messianic vision of controlling all of today’s Palestinian lands. They are not going to stop.

    “They believe in ethnic cleansing, or worse, depending on whatever is needed. And it is, again, the United States, which is the sole support. And it our mumbling, bumbling president and the others that are not stopping this slaughter.”

    In addition, to the growing massive protests around the world against the Israeli extremism, a growing number of countries and organisations, inspired by two International Court of Justice cases against Israel — one by South Africa alleging genocide by Israel and the other by the UNGA seeking a ruling on the legality of Israel’s military occupation of Palestine — have introduced lawsuits.

    A Dutch court last month ordered the government to block all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel following concern that the country may be violating international laws such as the Genocide Convention.

    Follow-up lawsuit
    South Africa is preparing a follow-up lawsuit against the US and the UK for “complicity” in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. South African lawyer lawyer Wikus Van Rensburg said: “The United States must now be held accountable for the crimes it committed.”

    Nicaragua is suing Germany at the ICJ for funding Israel – its export of weapons and munitions to the country has risen ten-fold since the Hamas deadly attack on Israel last October 7 — and cutting aid to the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), the major humanitarian agency in Gaza.

    It has called for emergency measures that would force Germany to cease military aid to Israel, and restart funding to the UNRWA.

    Nicaragua lawyers said in their lawsuit that the action was necessary because of Germany’s “participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international humanitarian law” in Gaza.

    "Would it be OK for you if they killed me?"
    “Would it be OK for you if they killed me?” . . . placard with child in pram at the Palestine solidarity rally in Auckland on Saturday. Image: David Robie/APR

    Instead of joining the US-led coalition in the Red Sea operation against the Houthis, who are targeting US, UK and Israeli-linked ships to disrupt maritime trade in support of the Palestinians, New Zealand would have been more constructive by joining the South African case against Israel in The Hague.

    Principle before profit if New Zealand is really committed to international rules based diplomacy.

    Nicaragua lawyers said in their lawsuit that the action was necessary because of Germany’s “participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international humanitarian law” in Gaza.

    No time to be ‘neutral’
    This is no time to be “neutral” over the War on Gaza, there are fundamental issues of global justice and human rights at stake. As various global aid officials have been saying, every day that passes without a ceasefire and a step towards an independent Palestine as a long-term solution means more children dying of starvation or from the bombing.

    The death toll is already a staggering more than 30,000 — mostly women and children. The war is clearly directed at the people of Gaza, collective punishment.

    Australian columnist Caitlin Johnstone warns against neutrality, advice that might have been heeded by New Zealand’s foreign affairs advisers.

    “At least be real with yourself that by refusing to pick a position you are licking the boot of a nuclear-armed ethnostate that is backed by the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.”

    And that impunity needs to end.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • NZ news media under fire for ‘bias, propaganda’ in Gaza coverage

    Pacific Media Watch

    New Zealand news media came under fire at today’s Palestine solidarity rally in Auckland calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza with speakers condemning what they said was pro-Israeli “bias” and “propaganda”.

    About 500 protesters waved Palestinian flags and many placards declaring “If you’re not heartbroken and furious, you’re not paying attention – stop the genocide”, “Killing kids is not self-defence” and “Western ‘civility, democracy, humanity, morality’ – bitch, where?”.

    They gave Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s government a grilling for the “weak” response to Israel atrocities.

    Many speakers were angry over the massacre of starving Palestinians when Israeli military forces opened fire on a crowd seeking aid in the central Gaza City area on Thursday with latest Gaza Health Ministry reports indicating that at least 115 Gazans had been killed with 760 wounded.

    The overall death toll is now 30,228 Palestinians killed and 71,377 wounded in Gaza since the war began on October 7.

    The UN Human Rights office called for a swift and independent probe into the food aid shootings, saying “at least 14 “similar attacks had occurred since mid-January.

    The Biden administration has announced a plan with Jordan to airdrop aid into Gaza but former USAID director Dave Harden has criticised the move as “ineffectual” for the huge humanitarian need of Gaza.

    Airdrops ‘symbol of failure’
    “Airdrops are a symbol of massive failure,” he told Al Jazeera.

    The bodies of three more Palestinians killed in the food aid slaughter were recovered.

    Responses to the Gaza food aid massacre
    Responses to the Gaza food aid massacre . . . “If you’re not hearbroken and furious, you’re not paying attention.” Image: David Robie/APR

    The New Zealand media were condemned for relying on “flawed” media coverage and journalists embedded with the Israeli military.

    “The New Zealand media ‘scalps’ information to create public perceptions rather than informing the public of the facts so that we can come to the conclusion that what Israel is doing in Gaza is genocide,” Neil Scott, secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Network  (PSNA), told the crowd.


    PSNA’s Neil Scott addressing the Palestine solidarity crowd today. Video: APR

    “What Israel is doing in Palestine is apartheid, what Israel is doing in Palestine is occupation – each of those three, plus way more, are crimes against humanity.

    “And what is the New Zealand media doing and saying about this?”

    “Nothing,” shouted many in the crowd.

    “Nada,” continued Scott.

    ‘Puppies are cute’
    “Puppies? Puppies are cute. We’ll get those on TV.

    “Genocide. Apartheid. Occupation. Crimes against humanity. Don’t give us news.”

    Television New Zealand's 1News headquarters in Auckland
    Television New Zealand’s 1News headquarters in Auckland . . . target of a protest yesterday and condemnation today over its Gaza war coverage. Image: APR

    Scott led a deputation of protesters to the headquarters of Television New Zealand yesterday, citing many examples of misinformation of lack of fair and “truthful” coverage.

    But management declined to speak to the protesters and the 1News team failed to cover the protest over TVNZ’s coverage of the war on Gaza.

    Criticisms have been mounting worldwide against Western news media coverage, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States, the staunchest supporters of Israel and the source of most of NZ’s global news services, including the Middle East.

    CNN ‘climate of hostility’
    Yesterday, the investigative website Intercept reported how CNN media staff, including the celebrated international news anchor Christiane Amanpour, had confronted network executives over what they claimed as stories about the war on Gaza being changed and a “climate of hostility” towards Arab journalists.

    According to a leaked internal recording, Amanpour told management that the CNN policy was causing “real distress” over “changing copy” and ”double standards”.

    Meanwhile, one of some 50 protests across New Zealand today – in Christchurch – was disrupted by a group of counter-demonstrators supporting Israel who performed a haka at the Bridge of Remembrance.

    The group from the Freedoms and Rights Coalition – linked to the Destiny Church – waved Israeli flags and chanted “go back to Israel”.  The pro-Palestinian supporters yelled “shame on them” and carried on with their regular weekly march to Cathedral Square.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Talks over NZ hostage pilot release stalled by ‘third party’, say police

    Jubi News

    Negotiations for the release of New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens, who has been held captive by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) for more than a year, has been hindered by customary issues and “interference of other parties”, say the Indonesian police.

    Senior Commander Faizal Ramadhani, head of the Cartenz Peace Operation, made this statement following a visit from New Zealand’s Police Attaché for Indonesia, Paul Borrel, at the operation’s command post in Timika, Mimika Regency, Central Papua Province, last Tuesday.

    Mehrtens has been held by the pro-independence group since he was seized on February 7 last year.

    The armed group led by Egianus Kogoya seized Mehrtens after he landed his aircraft at Paro Airport and the militant group also set fire to the plane.

    The senior commander told local journalists he had conveyed this information to Borrel.

    “The negotiation process is still ongoing, led by the Acting Regent of Nduga, Edison Gwijangge,” said Senior Commander Faizal.

    “However, the negotiation process is hindered by various factors, including the interference of other parties and customary issues.”

    The commander was not specific about the “other parties”, but it is believed that he may be referring to some calls from pro-independence groups for an intervention by the United Nations.

    Negotiations ongoing
    The chief of Nduga Police, Adjutant Senior Commmander VJ Parapaga, said that efforts to free the Air Susi pilot were still ongoing. He said the Nduga District Coordinating Forum (Forkopimda) was committed to resolving this case through a “family approach”.

    NZ Police Attaché to Indonesia, Paul Borrel
    NZ Police Attaché to Indonesia, Paul Borrel (left) during a visit to the Cartenz Peace Operation Main Command Post in Timika, Mimika Regency, Central Papua Province, last Tuesday. Image: Cartenz Peace Operation/Jubi

    “We bring food supplies and open dialogue regarding the release of the pilot,” said Parapaga when contacted by phone on Tuesday. He said efforts to release Phillip Mehrtens remained a top priority.

    A low resolution new image of New Zealand hostage pilot Philip Mehrtens
    A low resolution image of New Zealand hostage pilot Philip Mehrtens . . . medication delivered to him, say police. TPNPB-OPM video screenshot APR

    New Zealand’s Police Attaché Borrel commended the efforts made by the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force, saying he hoped Mehrtens would be released safely soon.

    “We express our condolences for the loss of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police members during the pilot’s liberation operation,” Borrel said.

    “We hope that the Cartenz Peace Operation can resolve the case as soon as possible.”

    Medication delivered
    Meanwhile, Papua police chief Inspector-General Mathius Fakhiri said several items requested by Merhtens had been delivered to him — including asthma medication, aromatherapy candles and disinfectants.

    The armed group led by Egianus Kogoya seized Mehrtens after he landed his aircraft at Paro Airport and the militant group also set fire to the plane.

    Inspector-General Fakhiri said the police always provided assistance to anyone who could deliver logistical needs or requests made by Mehrtens.

    He added that the security forces were ready to help if the New Zealand pilot fell ill or needed medicine, shoes or food.

    “We hope that he continues to receive logistical support so that he remains adequately supplied with food. This may also include other necessities for his well-being, including medication,” said the inspector-general.

    ‘Free Papua’ issue
    Inspector-General Fakhiri said it had been hoped to reach an agreement in November and January.

    But he said there were other parties “deliberately obstructing and hindering” the negotiations, resulting in stalled operation.

    “From our perspective, they are exploiting the issue of the abduction of the Susi Air pilot as a Free Papua issue,” he said.

    The inspector-general said he hoped that the New Zealand government would trust Indonesia to work towards the release of Mehrtens.

    “There is a third party that always tries to approach the New Zealand government to use the hostage issue to bring in a third party. We hope that [this request] will not be entertained,” he said.

    Republished from Jubi News with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Other nations are applying sanctions and going to court over Gaza – should NZ join them?

    ANALYSIS: By Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato

    Despite the carnage, United Nations resolutions and international court rulings, Israel’s war in Gaza has the potential to get much worse. Unless Hamas frees all Israeli hostages by March 10, Israel may launch an all-out offensive in Rafah, a city of 1.5 million people, cornered against the border with Egypt.

    The US has continued to block UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire. But President Joe Biden has cautioned Israel against a Rafah ground assault without a credible plan to protect civilians.

    More direct calls for restraint have come from the UN secretary-general and the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

    To its credit, New Zealand, along with Australia and Canada, added its voice in a joint statement on February 15:

    A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic […] We urge the Israeli government not to go down this path […] Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas.

    New Zealand also reiterated its commitment to a political settlement and a two-state solution. Given how hard some other countries are pushing for a ceasefire and peace, however, it is fair to ask whether the National-led coalition government could be doing more.

    NZ absent from a crucial case
    So far, New Zealand’s most obvious contribution has been to deploy a six-member defence force team to the region to deter Houthi rebel attacks on commercial and naval shipping in the Red Sea.

    This collaboration with 13 other countries is on the right side of international law. But the timing suggests it is more about preventing the Israel-Gaza situation from spreading and destabilising the region than about protecting international waterways per se.

    Furthermore, there is a risk of New Zealand’s response appearing one-sided, considering its relative silence on other fronts.

    For example, following the interim ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the application of the Genocide Convention to Israel’s devastation of Gaza, a second opinion is being sought from the court over the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.

    Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki told the court his people were suffering “colonialism and apartheid” under Israeli occupation. It was the latest round in a monumental debate central to any lasting peace process.

    More than 50 countries presented arguments at the ICJ last week, the most to engage with any single case since the court was established in 1945. But New Zealand was not present in the oral proceedings.

    This absence matches New Zealand’s abstention at the United Nations General Assembly vote that referred the case to the ICJ. A country that prides itself on an independent foreign policy seems to have lost its voice.

    An even-handed foreign policy
    New Zealand does call for the observance of international humanitarian law in Gaza. It has been less vocal, though, about calling for accountability for war crimes, no matter which side commits them.

    The International Criminal Court, New Zealand’s permanent representative to the UN has said, is “a central pillar in the international rules-based order and the international criminal justice system”.

    Directly supporting that sentiment would mean calling for independent investigations of all alleged crimes in the current Israel-Gaza conflict.

    Given countries it considers friends and allies do more to register their disapproval of the situation, New Zealand needs to consider whether its own current sanctions system is adequate.

    The White House has begun to sanction individual Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories, accusing them of undermining peace, security and stability. Britain has also placed sanctions on a small number of “extremist” settlers. France has recently identified and sanctioned 28 such individuals.

    However, New Zealand has remained silent, until this week declaring the political wing of Hamas a “terrorist” entity — a decision being criticised — and banning an unspecified number of extremist Israeli settlers from travelling to New Zealand.

    This prompts an obvious question: if sanctions can be applied to both Russia and Iran for their actions, should New Zealand now follow the lead of its allies and take active measures to express its disapproval of what is happening in Gaza and the occupied territories?The Conversation

    Dr Alexander Gillespie is professor of Law at the University of Waikato. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • NZ govt designates political wing of Hamas a ‘terrorist’ entity

    RNZ News

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has designated the political wing of Hamas as a “terrorist” entity.

    New Zealand designated the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist entity in 2010.

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the government unequivocally condemned the “brutal” terrorist attacks by Hamas in October, and the move had been taken after he received official advice.

    “What happened on 7 October reinforces we can no longer distinguish between the military and political wings of Hamas,” Peters said.

    “The organisation as a whole bears responsibility for these horrific terrorist attacks.”

    The designation means any assets of the terrorist entity in New Zealand are frozen. It also makes participation in or supporting Hamas’ activities, or recruiting for it a criminal offence.

    However, Peters made clear the designation would not affect the provision of humanitarian support to Palestinians, and would not stop New Zealand providing aid to benefit civilians in Gaza.

    ‘Gravely concerned’
    “Nor does it stop us providing consular support to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents in the conflict zone,” he said.

    “We remain gravely concerned about the impact of this conflict on civilians and will continue to call for an end to the violence and an urgent resumption of the Middle East Peace Process.

    “A lasting solution to the conflict will only be achieved by peaceful means.”

    The coalition government has also banned several extremist Israeli settlers from travelling to New Zealand.

    Peters said those banned had committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

    It was not clear how many settlers have been banned and who exactly they are.

    There has been a significant increase in extremist violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinian populations in recent months, Peters said.

    He acknowledged the official advice provided to him had been commissioned by then Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in October.

    Just over a fortnight earlier, Peters had specifically urged Israel not to begin a ground offensive in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza.

    A day later, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon issued a joint statement with his Australian and Canadian counterparts calling for the same thing.

    It included a call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the release of hostages, condemned Hamas for its terror attacks on Israel, and said Israel must protect Palestinian civilians.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Al Jazeera’s Bishara says ICJ critics ‘demolished shameless defences’ of Israel occupation

    Pacific Media Watch

    The International Court of Justice (ICC) has held its last day of hearings examining the legality of Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian lands.

    Fifty two countries and three international organisations have addressed the court in the hearings that ended on Monday.

    Most called for Israel’s occupation to be declared illegal and for it to end, with some calling for reparations to be paid by Israel to the state of Palestine.

    Only the representatives of the United States, United Kingdom and Fiji claimed the occupation was legal while non-government organisations and opposition politicians in Fiji condemned their country’s surprise position.

    Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst and a Middle East expert, said the final legal arguments had “demolished the shameless defences” of Israel’s illegal occupation.

    “Ireland, Algeria and South Africa . . . projected their own experience, their own narrative, their own history, their own struggle with [colonial] occupation, and their own experience with liberation as well,” he said.

    “Hence it was both instructive, if you will, not I mean liberating, not depressing.


    ICJ hearing: Final Israeli occupation arguments.  Video: Al Jazeera

    “I want to say it was instructive that they did share with us that but then we had this disingenuous, selective, mind boggling, if not, you know, mind insulting presentations by the United States and the United Kingdom that I think set everyone back.

    “You know they were trampling over international law, expropriating international law, confiscating international legality in order to fit their own little geopolitical calculus on behalf of their little client Israel.

    “So it was a bit shameful, it was a bit shameless to be honest and that’s why today we’ve heard from the Arab League and the [Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)], legal opinions that were basically set or apparently revised in order to counter the arguments of the UK and the US and in that way I thought it was brilliant and it was entertaining almost.”

    The African Union lawyers argued that “occuopatiion” and “self-determination” could not exist in the same place at the same time.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • John Minto: Why New Zealand should not designate Hamas a terrorist group

    COMMENTARY: By John Minto

    The New Zealand government is shortly to announce whether it will designate Hamas a “terrorist” group in response to the October 7 attack on Israel in which Hamas was involved.

    The US and most of the Western world calls Hamas “terrorists” but so far New Zealand has only designated the armed wing of Hamas as a terrorist group.

    More importantly, the United Nations — along with most of the rest of the world — has not taken this step and neither should New Zealand.

    It is for Palestinians to decide which groups they support in their struggle for self-determination but it’s important here to respond to the incessant, hysterical lies told about Hamas by Israel and the pro-Israel lobby around the world.

    There are probably more lies spoken about Hamas than any other organisation in the world.

    One of these is the lie that the Hamas Charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews worldwide. (For example, this was claimed in an opinion piece in The Post newspaper recently by Israeli diplomat and former ambassador to the United Kingdom Daniel Taub  — in response to which the newspaper declined to print any letters)

    The truth is that in the latest Hamas charter from 2017, the organisation says

    “Hamas reiterates that its conflict is with the Zionist project and not with the Jews based on their religion.”
    “Hamas is not fighting against the Jews because they are Jews, but against the Zionists who are occupying Palestine.”
    “Hamas rejects the persecution of people or the undermining of their rights on nationalist, religious or sectarian ground.”

    Hamas accepts Israel with 1967 borders
    In fact, their new charter goes further and Hamas accepts the state of Israel based on 1967 borders — precisely the same policy as the New Zealand government along with the US, the UK and most of the world!

    It is clear to everyone that war crimes were committed in the October 7 attack on Israel.

    Killing civilians and taking civilian hostages are war crimes under the Fourth Geneva Convention and should be condemned.

    These crimes should be investigated by the International Criminal Court as were crimes in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Those investigations resulted in arrest warrants issued against Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

    The same process should be followed for the October 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s genocidal response. For example, arrest warrants should be issued by the ICC against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and at least half his cabinet for war crimes and crimes against humanity — including the crimes of genocide and apartheid.

    As things stand there were eight Palestinian resistance groups involved in the October 7 attack on Israel and we simply do not know yet which groups and leaders were responsible for war crimes.

    Palestinian resistance groups have the right under international law to take up arms to fight against their colonial occupiers just as the African National Congress (ANC) had the right to take up arms to fight for freedom in apartheid South Africa.

    Aotearoa New Zealand must respect this right and not pander to the deep-seated racism and cheap political sloganeering of the pro-Israel lobby.

    A knee-jerk reaction from New Zealand to designate Hamas a terrorist group would be a further step backwards from an independent foreign policy.

    John Minto is national chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA).

    The besieged Gaza Strip
    The besieged Gaza Strip . . . Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7 came after Israeli settlers had stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and after a record number of Palestinians had been killed by Israel at that point in 2023. Image: Al Jazeera

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Philippines arrests Chinese fugitive who became Vanuatu citizen

    By Evelyn Macairan in Manila

    Despite changing his citizenship to the Pacific state of Vanuatu, a Chinese man wanted for various economic crimes was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport last week as he was about to board a flight for Singapore.

    In a statement yesterday, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Liu Jiangtao, 42, had presented himself for departure clearance at the immigration counter when the officer processing him saw that his name was on the bureau’s list of aliens with outstanding watchlist orders.

    Records showed that Liu is one of 11 Chinese fugitives wanted for fraud, infringement of credit card management, capital embezzlement, money laundering and counterfeiting a registered trademark.

    Bureau of Immigration prosecutors have filed deportation cases against the 11 fugitives.

    Evelyn Macairan is a reporter of The Philippine Star.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Marcos govt offers muted celebration of 1986 People Power revolution

    By Dwight de Leon in Manila

    There was no statement from Marcos Jr this year, but in a vlog posted on the anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution, he advised a student to be more discerning amid widespread disinformation.

    Didn’t scholars say his family benefitted from that?

    It is the second year that the EDSA People Power Revolution is being commemorated under the administration of President and dictator’s son Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and Malacañang appears unwilling to give it the time of day.

    On Sunday, February 25, neither Marcos Jr nor the Palace had issued a statement recognising the anniversary of the uprising that kicked the elder Marcos and his family out of Malacañang in 1986.

    President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during his trip to Hawai'i
    President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during his trip to Hawai’i in November 2023. Image: Rappler

    This day is obviously awkward for the President. In the past, he described the aftermath of the 1986 EDSA uprising — including his family’s exile in Hawai’i — as among the darkest days of their lives.

    But Marcos Jr at least made an effort last year to acknowledge the anniversary of the revolt, saying he was “one with the nation in remembering” the historic day.

    “I once again offer my hand of reconciliation to those with different political persuasions to come together as one in forging a better society — one that will pursue progress and peace and a better life for all Filipinos,” he also said on this day in 2023.

    Democracy advocates upset
    This year, Marcos did not declare the anniversary of the uprising a holiday, upsetting democracy advocates who believe the move was meant to diminish the legacy of the People Power revolution.

    There was, however, an official government commemoration this year, through the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, which, in its own words, held a “simple” ceremony on Sunday morning at the People Power monument.

    “The EDSA People Power Revolution was a series of demonstrations from 22 to 25 February 1986. It was a civil resistance campaign against the regime of violence and electoral fraud,” the NHCP, which is the chair of the EDSA People Power Commission, posted on its Facebook page.

    “The peaceful revolution led to the departure of former President Ferdinand Marcos ending 20 years of dictatorship and restoring democracy in the country.”

    The Marcos Sr regime itself was considered among the darkest chapters in Philippine history. Human rights groups say 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 people were tortured, and more than 3000 people were killed under the dictator’s rule.

    Where are the Marcoses?
    While anti-Marcos groups were holding various events — and protests — across the Philippines to commemorate the brutal dictatorship years, many members of the political family had their own get-together.

    On Instagram, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos posted a group photo of the clan on the dinner table, with a caption that read, “Happy Sunday everyone.”

    In the photo are her husband Marcos Jr, former first lady Imelda Marcos, the President’s sister Irene Marcos, and Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc, the son of Senator Imee Marcos.

    Image: Liza Araneta Marcos’ Instagram

    Interestingly, the President posted a YouTube vlog on Sunday, reacting to various letters sent to him. In that video, he offered advice to a humanities student who expressed interest in politics and history.

    “Your interest in history is very, very, very important, because we have much to learn from history,” he started.

    “Problem is, now with the technology we have, mahirap talagang makatingin ano ang fake news, ano ang totoo (it’s really difficult to determine which is the truth and which is ‘fake news’). It’s up to you. Huwag kayong magbabasa isa lang bagay. Basahin ‘nyo lahat (Don’t read just one source. Read everything),” he added.

    A series of investigative pieces from Rappler in 2019 documented how the Marcoses took advantage of social media to rehabilitate the family’s image over the years.


    The Marcoses documentary. Video: Rappler

    Fact checkers from Tsek.PH and Vera Files also found that Marcos Jr benefitted the most from election-related disinformation in the run-up to the 2022 presidential election, which he won via a landslide victory.

    So isn’t that comment on history a bit rich coming from him?

    Republished with permission from Rappler.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Amnesty International accuses Israel of ‘defying’ ICJ ruling over genocide

    Asia Pacific Report

    Amnesty International has accused Israel of defying last month’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling to prevent genocide by failing to allow adequate humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.

    The global human rights group said Israel had failed to even take the “bare minimum steps” to comply.

    A month after the ICJ had ordered “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip from the risk of genocide by ensuring sufficient humanitarian assistance and enabling basic services, Amnesty issued a statement condemning Israel’s lack of response.

    The order to provide aid was one of six provisional measures ordered by the court on January 26 and Israel was given one month to report back on its compliance with the measures.

    “Over that period Israel has continued to disregard its obligation as the occupying power to ensure the basic needs of Palestinians in Gaza are met,” Amnesty International said.

    “Israeli authorities have failed to ensure sufficient life-saving goods and services are reaching a population at risk of genocide and on the brink of famine due to Israel’s relentless bombardment and the tightening of its 16-year-long illegal blockade.

    “They have also failed to lift restrictions on the entry of life-saving goods, or open additional aid access points and crossings or put in place an effective system to protect humanitarians from attack.”

    ‘Callous indifference’
    Not only had Israel created “one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world”, it had also displayed a “callous indifference” to the fate of Gaza’s population by creating conditions which the ICJ had said placed them at imminent risk of genocide.

    “Time and time again, Israel has failed to take the bare minimum steps humanitarians have desperately pleaded for that are clearly within its power to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” said Amnesty’s Heba Morayef, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

    “As the occupying power, under international law, Israel has a clear obligation to ensure the basic needs of Gaza’s population are met.

    “Israel has not only woefully failed to provide for Gazans’ basic needs, but it has also been blocking and impeding the passage of sufficient aid into the Gaza Strip, in particular to the north which is virtually inaccessible, in a clear show of contempt for the ICJ ruling and in flagrant violation of its obligation to prevent genocide.”

    Amnesty said the scale and gravity of the “humanitarian catastrophe” caused by Israel’s relentless bombardment, destruction and “suffocating siege” put more than two million Palestinians of Gaza at risk of irreparable harm.

    The supplies entering Gaza before the ICJ order had been a drop in the ocean compared to the needs for the last 16 years.

    The sharp decline in aid for the besieged Palestinians in Gaza
    The sharp decline in aid for the besieged Palestinians in Gaza since the ICJ ruling last month. Image: Al Jazeera (CC)

    Trucks entering Gaza reduced by third
    “Yet, in the three weeks following the ICJ order, the number of trucks entering Gaza decreased by about a third, from an average of 146 a day in the three weeks prior, to an average of 105 a day over the subsequent three weeks.”

    Across the Gaza Strip, said the Amnesty International statement, Israel’s “engineered humanitarian disaster grows more horrifying each day”.

    By February 19, acute malnutrition was surging in Gaza and threatening children’s lives, with 15.6 percent of children under two years acutely malnourished in northern Gaza and 5 percent of children under two years in Rafah in the south.

    The speed and severity of the decline in the population’s nutritional status within just three months was “unprecedented globally”.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • ‘Time for talking is over’ – Turkish plan to break Gaza siege as Jordan airlifts supplies

    Kia Ora Gaza

    The head of the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), Bulent Yildirim, has announced that the organisation will head a naval fleet to Gaza to break Israel’s siege of the bombarded Palestinian enclave.

    Speaking at a huge public rally in Istanbul last week, Yildirim said: “The time for talking is over. We will go down to the sea, we will reach Gaza, and we will break the siege.”

    Yildirim participated in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in 2010. The boat he was on was boarded by Israeli troops and nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed at the time.


    Turkish NGO plans to send naval fleet toward Gaza to break siege. Video: Middle East Eye

    He is hopeful that this new fleet will be successful in breaking the siege as part of Istael’s genocidal war against Palestinians and helping bring some relief to many Gazans who are starving.

    Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

    “We hope to include Kiwis on the upcoming flotillas to break the siege of Gaza,” said Roger Fowler, a founder and facilitator of Kia Ora Gaza, who was at the planning meeting in Istanbul.

    He appealed for donations to this mission through Kia Ora Gaza.

    In September 2016, Kia Ora Gaza facilitated Green MP Marama Davidson in joining the Women’s Boat to Gaza peace flotilla, and in 2018 veteran human rights campaigner and union leader Mike Treen represented New Zealand.

    The recent Freedom Flotilla meeting in Istanbul to plan the humanitarian voyage to Gaza
    The recent Freedom Flotilla Coalition meeting in Istanbul to plan the humanitarian voyage to Gaza. Kia Ora Gaza’s Roger Fowler of Aotearoa New Zealand is on the left. Image: Kia Ora Gaza

    Jordan airdrops aid to Gaza
    Meanwhile, the Royal Jordanian Air Force has carried out airdrops of aid off the coast of the Gaza Strip — the biggest airdrop operation so far to deliver much-needed aid to millions of Palestinians amid restrictions by Israeli authorities on aid entering the territory by road.

    The aid was dropped at 11 sites along the Gaza coast from its northern edge to the south for civilians to collect, and one French Air Force plane was also involved.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • West Papua advocacy group condemns arrest, ‘humiliation’ of two teenagers

    Asia Pacific Report

    An Australian-based West Papua advocacy group has condemned the arrest and “humiliation” of two teenagers by Indonesian security forces last week.

    The head of Cartenz 2024 Peace Operations, Kombes Faizal Ramadhani, said in a statement on Friday that the 15-year-olds had been arrested after a clash with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in Kali Brasa on Thursday, February 22.

    During the shootout, a TPNPB member named as Otniel Giban (alias Bolong Giban) had been killed.

    The Sydney-based Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) today condemned the arrest of the teenagers, only identified by the Indonesian authorities by their initials MH and BGE and who were initially seized as “suspects” but later described as “witnesses”.

    Faizal said that the teenagers had been arrested because they were suspected of being members of the TPNPB group and that they were currently being detained at the Damai Cartenz military post.

    However, the TPNPB declared that the two teenagers were not members of the TPNPB and were ordinary civilians.

    The teenagers were arrested when they were crossing the Brasa River in the Yahukimo Regency.

    Aircraft shot at
    The clash between security forces and the TNPB occurred while the Cartenz Peacekeeping Operation-2024 searched for those responsible for shooting at an aircraft in Yahukimo in which a military member had been wounded.

    Meanwhile, also in Jakarta last Friday the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Richard Marles, met with Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto — who is poised to win this month’s Indonesian presidential election.

    Marles stressed at a media conference at the Defence Ministry that Australia did not support the Free Papua Movement, saying the country “fully recognise[d] Indonesia’s territorial sovereignty”.

    “We do not endorse any independence movement,” he told a media conference.

    However, in Sydney AWPA’s Joe Collins said in a statement: “I was at first surprised that West Papua even got a mention at the meeting as usually Australia tries to ignore the issue but even our Defence Minister can hardly ignore a media question on it.”

    ‘No support for any independence movements’
    An extract from the media conference says:

    Subianto: “Thank you very much. I don’t think there is any need for questions. Questions?”

    Journalist: “Thank you very much Mr Deputy Prime Minister. Regarding the huge amount of [the] Australian defence budget, how should the Indonesian people see it? Is it going to be a trap or an opportunity for our national interest?

    “And my second question is what is Australia’s standpoint regarding the separatist [pro-independence] movement in Papua because there are some voices from Australia concern[ed] about human rights violations?”

    Marles: “Thank you for the question. Let me do the second issue first. We, Australia utterly recognise the territorial sovereignty of Indonesia, full stop. And there is no support for any independence movements.

    “We support the territorial sovereignty of Indonesia. And that includes those provinces being part of Indonesia. No ifs, no buts. And I want to be very clear about that.”

    Collins said there was no shortage of comments during the delegation’s visit to Indonesian around how important the relationship was.

    “West Papua will remain the elephant in the room in the Australia-Indonesian relationship,” Collins said. “We can expect many hiccups in the relationship over West Papua in the coming years “.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Kia Ora Gaza organiser condemns ‘open genocide’ in Gaza Strip

    While telling today’s Palestine solidarity rally in Auckland about creative “good news” humanitarian aid plans to help Palestinians amid the War on Gaza, New Zealand Kia Ora Gaza advocate and organiser Roger Fowler also condemned Israel’s genocidal conduct. He was interviewed by Anadolu News Agency after a Freedom Flotilla Coalition planning meeting in Istanbul with his views this week republished here.

    By Faruk Hanedar in Istanbul

    “Women, children, and families have no food. They are trying to drink water from puddles. People are eating grass.”

    — Kia Ora Gaza advocate Roger Fowler

    New Zealand activist Roger Fowler has condemned the Israeli regime’s actions in the Gaza Strip, saying “this is definitely genocide”.

    “The Israeli regime has not hidden its intention to destroy or displace the Palestinian people, especially those in Gaza, from the beginning,” he said.

    “They are committing a terrible act — killing tens of thousands of people, injuring more, and destroying a large part of this beautiful country.”

    The death toll from the Israeli War on Gaza topped 29,000 this week – mostly women and children – and there were reports of deaths from starvation.

    Fowler demanded action to halt the attacks and expressed hope about the potential effect of the international Freedom Flotilla — a grassroots organisation working to end the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza.

    He noted large-scale protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza and emphasised efforts to pressure governments, including through weekly protests in New Zealand to unequivocally condemn Israel’s actions as unacceptable.

    A Palestinian mother and family hug the dead body of their child who died in an Israeli attack in Deir al-Balah, Gaza
    A Palestinian mother and family hug the dead body of their child who died in an Israeli attack in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on 18 February 2024. Image: Kia Ora Gaza

    Long-standing mistreatment
    He stressed that the “tragedy” had extended beyond recent months, highlighting the long-standing mistreatment endured by Palestinians — particularly those in Gaza — for the last 75 years.

    Fowler pointed out the dire situation that Gazans faced — confined to a small territory with restricted access to essential resources including food, medicine, construction materials and necessities.

    He noted his three previous trips to Gaza with land convoys, where he demonstrated solidarity and observed the dire circumstances faced by the population.

    “Boycott is a very effective action,” said Fowler, underlining the significance of boycotts, isolation and sanctions, while stressing the necessity of enhancing and globalising initiatives to end the blockade.

    “I believe that boycotting has a great impact on pressuring not only major companies to withdraw from Israel and end their support, but also on making the Israeli government and our own governments understand that they need to stop what they are doing.”

    Fowler also criticised the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) “genocide decision” for being ineffective due to the arrogance of those governing Israel.

    South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel to the ICJ in December and asked for emergency measures to end Palestinian bloodshed in Gaza, where nearly 30,000 people have been killed since October 7.

    Anadolu journalist Faruk Hanedar talks with Kia Ora Gaza organiser Roger Fowler (left)
    Anadolu journalist Faruk Hanedar talks with Kia Ora Gaza organiser Roger Fowler (left) after the recent Freedom Flotilla Coalition planning meeting in Istanbul. Image: Kia Ora Gaza/Anadolu

    World Court fell short
    The World Court ordered Israel last month to take “all measures within its power” to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza but fell short of ordering a ceasefire.

    It also ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective” measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.

    Fowler said all nations must persistently advocate and exert pressure for adherence to decisions by the UN court.

    Fowler acknowledged efforts by UN personnel but he has concerns about their limited resources in Gaza, citing the only avenue for change is for people to pressure authorities to stop the genocide and ensure Israel is held accountable.

    “It’s definitely tragic and heartbreaking. Women, children, and families have no food. They are trying to drink water from puddles. People are eating grass. This is a very desperate situation. No one is talking about the children. Thousands of people are under the rubble, including small babies and children,” he said.

    Roger Fowler is a Mangere East community advocate, political activist for social justice in many issues, and an organiser of Kia Ora Gaza. This article was first published by Anadolu Agency and is republished with permission.

    kiaoragaza.net

    "Gaza is starving to death"
    “Gaza is starving to death” . . . a banner in today’s Palestine solidarity rally in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau. Image: David Robie/Asia Pacific Report
    "Blood on your hands"
    “Blood on your hands” . . . a protest banner condemning Israel and the US during a demonstration outside the US consulate in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau today. Image: David Robie/Asia Pacific Report


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • John Minto: Why is mainstream media in NZ so blatantly ignoring Gaza?

    COMMENTARY: By John Minto

    Why is Aotearoa New Zealand media so silent on the Gaza genocide happening before our eyes?

    Amid unreported-in-Aotearoa media stories of horrific bombings killing dozens of Palestinians in a “heinous massacre” in central Gaza and UN reports of sexual assault allegations against Palestinian women and children by Israeli military forces, New Zealanders will be protesting, rallying and marching again today in 22 centres across the country.

    So much of the Israeli propaganda which is driving the massive assault on the Palestinians of Gaza has been unravelling quickly but this is not being reported to the public in Western countries such as New Zealand.

    Allegations such as beheaded babies, horrendous sexual assault claims and allegations of UNRWA involvement in the October 7 attack have all unravelled but New Zealanders are none the wiser.

    The internationally reported claims that pro-Palestine protesters chanted “Gas the Jews” outside the Sydney Opera house after October 7 have been shown to be the rubbish they always were.


    Political analyst Marwan Bishara analyses the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.   Video: Al Jazeera

    But despite the initial claims being widely reported by New Zealand media, we are not aware of any corrections, apologies or reporting of the truth to New Zealanders.

    The New Zealand media has been as complicit as most of the media across the Western world in amplifying Israeli lies and racist propaganda while sidelining Palestinian viewpoints.

    Protests this weekend
    The protests this week continue to demand that our government:

    • Condemn the Israeli slaughter and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians;
    • No attack on Rafah;
    • Reinstate funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians;
    • Call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza;
    • Withdraw from the war on Yemen; and
    • Close the Israeli Embassy
    "See no genocide" . . . a graphic condemning the US stance over Palestine
    “See no genocide” . . . a graphic condemning the US stance over Palestine and the ongoing support for the genocidal war on Gaza. Image: Visualising Palestine (cc)

    Details of protest events across the country are on the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Facebook event page.

    John Minto is national chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). Republished with permission from The Daily Blog.

    US blocks ceasefire again
    Asia Pacific Report:     The United States this week vetoed another United Nations Security Council draft resolution on Israel’s war on Gaza, blocking a demand for an immediate ceasefire.

    This was the third US veto against humanitarian ceasefire resolutions in the UNSC over the war in Gaza. The United Kingdom abstained, but all other 13 countries — including the three other permanent members China, France and Russia — voted for it.

    In introducing the resolution on Tuesday, Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s ambassador to the UN, said:

    “This resolution is a stance for truth and humanity, standing against the advocates for murder and hatred. Voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them [the Palestinians].”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Bainimarama slams Fiji’s support for Israeli occupation of Palestine as ‘disturbing’

    RNZ Pacific

    Former Fiji prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the country’s intervention at the International Court of Justice over Israel’s occupation of Palestine betrays Fiji’s legacy as peacekeepers.

    Paul Reichler, an attorney representing Palestine at the ICJ revealed this week that Fiji and the United States were the only nations to defend Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

    Fifty countries and three international organisations are calling for self-determination and an end to the Israeli military occupation which has lasted more than half a century.

    Fiji political rivals Sitiveni Rabuka (left), a former prime minister, and Voreqe Bainimarama, the current Prime Minister
    Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka (left) condemned by former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama over Fiji’s stance on military occupation of Palestine . . . “with what credibility will we support the independence of territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia?” Image: Vanguard/IDN

    Bainimarama said Fiji’s stance “insults the intelligence of every Fijian”.

    The former prime minister and military commander said that that position undid Fiji’s long-standing commitment to neutrality, peacekeeping, and the principles of self-determination and decolonisation.

    “The coalition government’s claim that the occupation of foreign territory by Israel is legal — an argument not even advanced by Israel itself — reveals a disturbing truth that Fiji’s voice to the world is hostage to a demented few who are hellbent on destroying our national reputation,” he said in a statement today.

    ‘Contradicts our stance on independence’
    “This action contradicts our firm stance on the rights to independence and statehood, rights we have championed for our Pacific brothers and for all colonial peoples.

    He said Fiji has stood with Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and others in their pursuit of independence.

    “We must ask ourselves: with what credibility will we support the independence of territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia? We must not be selective in our support for statehood and independence.

    “Our actions today will define our legacy and our ability to lead in the Pacific and beyond.

    “The world should know that the vast majority of Fijians stand on the side of peace. That is our national character and that is the spirit in which we offer our service on the frontlines of conflict zones around the world.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Muslim Americans decry Biden’s support for Gaza ‘genocide’ – Palestinian envoy speaks

    Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour speaking at the International Court of Justice on Monday.   Video: Dawn News

    Pacific Media Watch

    The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says Muslim Americans are “running out of words” to decry the US president’s support for the “genocide” in Gaza.

    “The latest US veto of a UN ceasefire resolution is shameful,” CAIR director Nihad Awad said in a statement.

    “President Biden should stop acting like Benjamin Netanyahu’s defence lawyer and start acting like the President of the United States,” reports Al Jazeera.

    “We call on the American people to continue expressing their opposition to the Biden administration’s support for the Israeli government’s war crimes by contacting the White House and their elected officials and calling on them to demand a ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid, and the pursuit of a just, lasting peace.”

    Meanwhile, Palestine’s envoy to the United Nations broke down in tears when giving a chilling address to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

    Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN, said that the “future of freedom, justice and peace can begin here and now”.

    “A finding from this distinguished court that the occupation is illegal and drawing the legal consequences from this determination would contribute to bringing it to an immediate end, paving the way to just and lasting peace.”

     

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Fiji human rights group condemns ‘troubling’ support for Israel at ICJ

    Asia Pacific Report

    A Fiji human rights advocacy coalition has condemned Fiji’s “profoundly troubling” stance as being one of only two countries supporting continued illegal occupation by Israel of the Palestinian territories.

    The Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) said the occupation had been widely recognised by the international community — including the United Nations — as a “violation of international law” and an impediment to peace and self-determination of the Palestinian people”.

    It called on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s coalition government to withdraw support for Israel and back a “just and lasting peace in Palestine” in its oral submissions before the International Court of Justice hearings in The Hague next Monday.

    Fiji is the only country apart, from the United States, backing Israel after its genocidal war against the Palestinians over the past four months. Fifty countries and three international organisations are supporting Palestine.

    “By supporting the Israeli occupation, the Fijian government not only isolates itself from the international community but also from the very principles of justice and human dignity it purports to uphold,” said NGOCHR chair Shamima Ali.

    “Such a position undermines Fiji’s reputation and casts a shadow over its commitment to the values enshrined in international law.

    “The decision to support the genocidal, violent occupation raises serious questions about the processes and considerations behind Fiji’s foreign policy choices. It is imperative that the Fijian government demonstrates accountability and transparency in its decision-making.”

    Transparency demanded
    The coalition demanded that Prime Minister Rabuka, a former military officer who led Fiji’s first two military coups in 1987 and who is also Foreign Minister, publicly reveals who had drafted the submissions on Fiji and why the country was taking such a position.

    In a statement, the coalition said that NGOCHR “and our allies, as staunch advocates for human rights and justice, expresses its profound dismay and unequivocal condemnation of the Fijian government’s decision to submit a written statement in support of the Israeli genocidal occupation of Palestine, including East Jerusalem.”

    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings this week on Israel's continued occupation of the Palestinian Territories
    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings this week on Israel’s continued occupation of the Palestinian Territories. This case is separate from the South African case before the ICJ accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Image: Al Jazeera/Creative Commons

    “This submission, made to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the context of hearings on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territor[ies], places Fiji alongside the United States as one of the only two countries endorsing such a stance.”

    In September 2023, said the statement, the Israeli occupation, which had been enduring and marked by efforts to annex Palestinian land both legally and in practice, had been unequivocally deemed unlawful by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel.

    In October 2023, the commission concluded that the permanence of the occupation and Israel’s annexation measures rendered it unlawful — a stance echoed by leading human rights organisations worldwide, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

    Fiji supporters protesting in solidarity with Palestine
    Fiji supporters protesting in solidarity with Palestine. Image: NGOCHR

    “The global consensus on this matter, formed by UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing and a host of international human rights NGOs, underscores the severity of the occupation’s impact on the Palestinian people,” Ali’s statement said.

    “These reports detail egregious violations of human rights and international law, painting a stark picture of the suffering endured by countless individuals under the occupation.

    Serious questions raised
    “The decision to support the genocidal, violent occupation raises serious questions about the processes and considerations behind Fiji’s foreign policy choices.

    “It is imperative that the Fijian government demonstrates accountability and transparency in its decision-making.

    “The public has a right to understand how such positions, which significantly impact [on] Fiji’s standing on the global stage and its moral compass, are determined. We call upon the government to disclose the rationale and any consultations or analyses that led to this stance.

    “This call for clarity is not just about ensuring governmental transparency; it’s about reaffirming Fiji’s dedication to principles that respect human dignity and international law.

    “Without this openness, the trust between the Fijian people and their government risks being eroded, especially on matters of international significance that reflect on the entire nation.”

    The coalition called on the Fiji government to reconsider its position and to align its international engagements with the “principles of human dignity, justice, and respect for international law”.

    ‘Advocate for justice, rights’
    “We urge the Fijian government to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and justice by advocating for the rights of all people, including the Palestinian people, to live in peace, security, and dignity.

    “We stand in solidarity with those advocating for peaceful resolution of conflicts and upholding human rights worldwide. The NGOCHR will continue to monitor this situation closely and support Fiji in adopting a foreign policy that reflects the values of its people and the principles of international law.”

    The Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights represents the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC), Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM), Citizens Constitutional Forum (CCF), femLINKPacific, Social Empowerment and Education Programme (SEEP) and DIVA for Equality Fiji (DIVA).

    The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) is also an observer (PANG).

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Palestinian foreign minister tells ICJ of ‘besieged, bombed and killed’ Gazans

    Asia Pacific Report

    Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki began his address to the week-long “historic” International Court of Justice hearings into the status of the people and state of Palestine in the Hague saying it was an “honour and great responsibility”.

    “I stand before you as 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza — half of them children — are besieged and bombed, killed and maimed, starved and displaced,” he told the court.

    “As more than 3.5 million Palestinians in West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are subjected to colonisation of their territory and the racist violence that enables it,” he added.

    “As 1.7 million Palestinians in Israel are treated as second-class citizens . . .  in their ancestral land,” he said, reports Al Jazeera.

    “As seven million Palestine refugees continue to be denied the right to return to their land and homes.”

    An unprecedented 52 countries and three international organisations are scheduled to give evidence.

    Five maps of ‘destruction’
    The foreign minister showed five maps to the court which he said demonstrated the ongoing “destruction of the Palestinian people”.

    The first map showed historic Palestine — the territory he said over which the Palestinian people should have been able to exercise their right to self-determination.

    A second map showed the 1947 UN Partition Map, which ignored the will of Palestinians, said al-Maliki.

    The third map shows three-fourths of historic Palestine becoming Israel over 1948-1967.

    “From the first day of its occupation Israel started colonising and annexing the land with the aim of making its occupation of irreversible,” he said.

    The fifth map was one presented by Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly which he described as portraying “the new Middle East”.

    Al-Maliki added: “There is no Palestine at all on this map, only Israel comprised of all the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”

    End ‘brutal’ occupation
    Meanwhile, Amnesty International has issued a statement saying Israel must end its “brutal” occupation of Palestine — including Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem — “to stop fuelling apartheid and systematic human rights violations”.

    Agnes Callamard, the rights group’s secretary-general, said Israel’s occupation of Palestine had been characterised “by widespread and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians”.

    “The occupation has also enabled and entrenched Israel’s system of apartheid imposed on Palestinians,” Callamard added, noting that the occupation had over the years “evolved into a perpetual occupation in flagrant violation of international law”.

    “Israel’s occupation of Palestine is the longest and one of the most deadly military occupations in the world,” she said.

    “For decades it has been characterised by widespread and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians. The occupation has also enabled and entrenched Israel’s system of apartheid imposed on Palestinians.”

    ‘Join South Africa’ plea to Luxon
    In New Zealand, a full page advertisement in news media presented an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urging the NZ government join the South African case against Israel under the Genocide Convention.

    Sponsored by the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA), the letter in The Post declared that it agreed with the government that a military occupation into Rafah “would be ‘catastrophic’ with appalling humanitarian consequences”.

    It urged the NZ government to join South Africa’s urgent request to the ICJ to “end Israel’s attacks on Rafah”.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • PM Luxon leaves Big Gay Out abruptly after heated Gaza war protest

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • John Minto: Why are Israeli attacks on UNRWA so much more important for Luxon than genocide against Palestinians?

    COMMENTARY: By John Minto

    Unfortunately there was no discussion of foreign policy during Aotearoa New Zealand’s general election last year. Aside from the odd obligatory question in a TV debate it barely got a mention.

    Our international relations tend to be glossed over because most policy is shared by Labour and National at least.

    It wasn’t always this way. Back in the 1970s there was a palpable feeling of pride across the country as the Norman Kirk Labour government sent a New Zealand frigate to protest against French nuclear testing in the Pacific.

    A similar community pride surrounded developing our anti-nuclear policy in the 1980s and relief as well when New Zealand did not buckle to US pressure and stayed out of the infamous invasion of Iraq in 2003 while the rest of the Western world fell for the huge propaganda blitz about non-existent “weapons of mass destruction”.

    It has been an awful surprise to see New Zealand give up that independence so easily in the last two years.

    We rightly joined the condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because while there were clear reasons for Russia’s action there was no justification.

    But then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her successor Chris Hipkins just gave up even the pretence of independence.

    Fast downhill ride
    Both attended belligerent NATO meetings and it’s been a fast downhill ride since. Our new National-led coalition government is continuing the same political momentum.

    Nevertheless, it still came as a shock last month when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon — flanked by Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins — announced we were sending military personnel to join the US-led bombing of Yemen.

    There was no United Nations mandate for war and it was supported only by the tiniest minority of Western countries.

    The Houthi group in Yemen have attacked Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea to pressure Israel to end its slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.

    Yemeni groups have done this because the Western world has turned its back on the people of Gaza and refuses to condemn Israel’s indiscriminate killing of Palestinians.

    Shouldn’t we be speaking strongly for an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza like most of the world rather than joining in bombing one of the world’s poorest countries?

    A ceasefire in Gaza would end the attacks on Red Sea shipping and dramatically reduce tensions across the Middle East.

    That’s what an independent New Zealand would have done.

    A protesting Palestinian family at the ceasefire now rally
    A protesting Palestinian family at the ceasefire solidarity rally in Auckland’s Te Komititanga Square today. Image: David Robie/Asia Pacific Report

    Shame, instead of pride
    Instead of pride, most of us feel shame as the world now looks on us as a small, obsequious appendage to the US empire — an empire which has blocked three UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    The killing of civilians and the taking of civilian hostages is a war crime under the fourth Geneva convention and must always be condemned, no matter who the perpetrator.

    We were right to condemn the killing of Israeli civilians, but our government’s refusal to condemn the killing of more than 28,000 Palestinians, including more than 12,000 children, or even call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza — until it belatedly did so this week — leaves an indelible stain on our reputation.

    Our lack of independence was on display again last month when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found a plausible case exists that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

    Instead of backing up the court ruling with demands Israel end the killing of Palestinians New Zealand has been all but silent with the Prime Minister blundering his way through question time in Parliament without a clue about our international responsibilities.

    While all but ignoring the genocide ruling by the ICJ, Luxon was quick to halt New Zealand funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
    While all but ignoring the genocide ruling by the ICJ, Luxon was quick to halt New Zealand funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency over Israeli allegations that 12 of UNRWA’s 30,000 employees had been implicated in terrorism. Image: David Robie/Asia Pacific Report

    While all but ignoring the genocide ruling by the ICJ, Luxon was quick to halt New Zealand funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency over Israeli allegations that 12 of UNRWA’s 30,000 employees had been implicated in terrorism.

    A classic diversion by Israel to avoid the dreadful truth of their killing of Palestinians in Gaza. New Zealand happily joined the diversion.

    Why are Israeli attacks on UNRWA so much more important for the Prime Minister than genocide committed against the Palestinian people?

    The simple truth is we are swimming against the great tide of humanity which stands with Palestinians.

    Our government has pushed us into the dark shadow of US/Israeli policies of oppression and domination. We need to be back out in the sun.

    John Minto is national chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). Republished with permission from The Daily Blog.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.